Play yard



9 B. s. KENNEDY fi PLAY-YARD Filed July 23, 19-- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' INVENTOR ATTORN E\ 5 Jan. 19, 1943. Q s, K Y" 2,308,608

PLAY- YARD Filed July 23, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN EYS Patented Jan. 19, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLAY YARD Benjamin S. Kennedy, Rochester, N. Y.

Application July 23, 1941, Serial No. 403,680

7 Claims.

This invention relates to play-yards for infants, and more particularly to foldable playyards, and has for its object the provision of an improved infant's play-yard. The invention aims to provide an improved play-yard having such an arrangement of sides that it may be placed in the corner of a room without extending an objectionable distance into the room, and, while providing ample space for the child to play, also enables the child to hold two sides at the same time while learning to walk.

Play-yards as usually constructed have four sides arranged in a rectangle or square, the corners being square, that is, about ninety degrees. While such play-yards may fit into a corner, the opposite corner extends an objectionable distance into the room. In the case of square play-yards, the child learning to walk can take but one or two steps while holding a side with each hand. Narrow rectangular play-yards may enable the child to take several steps while holding onto opposite sides with each hand, but there is no wide area. in such a construction where the child may play without being unduly cramped.

The invention aims to overcome the aforementioned limitations and objections by providing a play-yard which may efliciently use the space of a room, has ample space for the child to play and side:. which are sufliciently close together that a child may take several steps while supporting itself from opposite sides. The playyard of the invention has one corner angle of about ninety (90) degrees and a long side opposite that corner. The long side is connected at its ends to the sides embracing the ninety degree corner (hereinafter for convenience called the corner sides) by any suitable means such as pivots, hinges or comparatively short sides. The play-yard may have the general shape of a triangle, the side opposite the right angle occupying the position of the hypotenuse, particularly when the long side or hypotenuse is connected directly, as by a pivot or a short hinge coupling or the like, to the corner sides. When short sides are used to connect the long side to the corner sides, the play-yard is in the form of a pentagon.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, I construct the play-yard in the form of a pentagon with two relatively short sides pivotally connected to the long side and to the corner sides, and with means for detachably connecting the corner sides together at their contacting edges. In a, more complete embodiment of my invention, I use a foldable floor in combination with the five-sided confining structure just described. I may hinge or otherwise pivotally connect thev floor along the lower edge of the long side and form it in two parts hinged together along the longitudinal center portion. A floor so constructed may be folded and the two portions swung or. the hinges attached to the long side into close parallelism with the long side. The corner sides may be disconnected and swung inwardly into substantal parallelism with the folded floor. I prefer to provide short sides or equivalent double hinges which give enough clearance to enable thefolded floor to fit between the long side and the folded comer sides. In order to facilitate the folding of the corner sides over the folded floor and over each other. I prefer to make one short side a little longer than the other.

The foregoing and other novel features of the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an isometric perspective from above of a play-yard embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the play-yard of Fig. 1 with the sides extended and .the floor folded against the long side;

Fig. 3 is a view from above of the folded pla yard of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of the invention; a

Fig. 5 is a side view of the long side of the play-yard of Fig. 4 illustrating the connection of the floor to the lower side rail;

Fig. 6 is a top view of the folded play-yard of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 7 illustrates a type of binge for pivotally connecting the sides together.

The play-yard illustrated in the drawings, and particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, comprises a plurality of upright sides including comer sides I and 2, short sides 3 and I, and a long side 5. The corner sides comprise top rails 6, bottom rails I, end posts 8, and a plurality of closely spaced upright rods or slats 9. The short sides 3 and l comprise top rails l2 and bottom rails B. The long side 5 comprises a top rail ll, bottom rail IS, a plurality of closely spaced upright rods or slats IS, an intermediate longitudinal rail I! to which is attached a loop of metal wire 18 having loosely and slidably mounted thereon a plurality of beads IS; The ends of the rods 9 and I6 extend into cooperating holes in their respective top and bottom rails, and may be secured to the rails by glue, nails or the like. As shown in the drawings, the short side 3 is longer than the short side 4 and the advantage of this will be explained hereinafter.

In forming the various sides, I may use any suitable panels, or arrangement of rods, slats, rails or woven material in combination with top and bottom rails to provide a suitable light closure for confining an infant.

The corner sides I and 2 are pivotally connected by rods 22 to the adjacent ends of the short sides 3 and 4, respectively. The posts 3 of the sides 3 and 4 are provided with any suitable detachable connecting means such as the hooks 23 and pins 24. The short sides I and 4 are pivotally connected at their other ends by means of the rods 24 to the ends of the long side 5.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the various sides may be swung about their respective pivotal connections. In Fig. 1 the corner sides are shown swung open a slight distance. In Fig. 2 the sides are shown stretched out in a substantially straight line. In Fig. 3 the corner sides are shown folded in parallelism with the long sides.

In a more complete form of play-yard according to the invention a foldable floor 30 is mounted within the sides preferably by attaching it along one edge with a plurality of hinges 3| to the bottom rail of the long side 5. The floor is shaped to fit within the space enclosed by the erected sides and is preferably in two parts 32 and 33 hinged together along the edge 34 so that the parts fold over each other as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.. I prefer to so proportion the height of the sides and the lengths of the two portions of the floor that, when the floor is folded together and swung up into parallelism with the side 5, the three parts are substantially the same height as shown in Fig. 2. When the floor is folded into parallelism with the side 5, as shown in Fig. 3, the short sides 3 and 4 may be swung inwardly until they occupy positions at right'angles to the side 5. Side 4 being the shorter of the two extends just slightly beyond the folded floor as shown in Fig. 3 and the corner side 2 may thereby be swung into parallelism with the folded floor. The side 3 being longer than the side 4 extends slightly beyond the position occupied by the folded corner side 2 and thereby permits the corner side I to be folded into parallelism with sides 2 and 5 and the folded floor. Thus, the play-yard is adapted to be folded into a very compact structure.

The various sides are preferably so proportioned that when the end posts 8 are connected together by the hooks and pins 2324, or other suitable fastening means, the resulting angle embraced within sides I and 2 is a right angle. I prefer to use an angle of about ninety degrees, not only for the reason that it enables the playyard to be fitted closely into the corner of a room, but for the reason that it provides an eflicient arrangement of space and this I consider important in view of the relatively narrow space in the corner portions of the yard near the short sides. It is to be understood, of course, that the ninety degree angle may be varied somewhat without departing from the invention and its intended scope.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the pivotally connected adjacent ends of the sides are formed by cutting out matching portions at the adjacent rail ends to provide dove-tail joints, the pivot rods 22 and 24 extending through registering holes in the overlapping matching portions of the joint. Other forms of pivotal connection may of course be used. Thus, for example, in Fig. 7 of the drawings there is shown a double hinge pivotally connecting the top rails 6 and I4 together. This hinge comprises a plate 35 connected to the rail 6, a plate 36 connected to the rail l4, and an extension 31 of variable length pivotally connected at 38 and 39 to the plates 35 and 36 respectively. The extension is of such length that it provides the necessary space between the comer sides and the long side. This extension takes the place of the short side and the extensions for one side may'be shorter than those of the other to enable the sides to be folded into close parallelism as hereinbefore described.

The play-yard illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and B. when in erected position, is substantially in the form of a triangle. The corner sides 40 and 4| are detachably connected together at their contacting ends by the latch 42 and embrace an angle of about ninety degrees. The long side 43 is directly opposite the ninety degree angle and is substantially the hypotenuse of a right angle triangle. The long side is pivotally connected by means of a hinge 44 to thecorner side 4| and pivotally connected by means of the hinge 45 to the corner side 40. I prefer to provide hinge 45 with an angular extension 43 to enable the side 40 to fold into parallelism with the side 4| after the side 4| is folded against the side 43 as-shown in Fig. 6.

In this form of the invention, I may provide a floor ll formed in two parts 48 and 50 which are connected together along the edges 5| by hinges 52. I find it advantageous to connect the floor 48 to fold along the side 43, and to this nd I may use pins 55 which are inserted into holes in the extensions 53 of the side 43. By means of this connection I may not only readily remove the floor but I may swing it outward and into parallelism with the side 43 on the outside thereof as shown in Fig. 6.

One of the advantages of the play-yard of the invention is that it may be used very eflectively without the floor. I, accordingly, prefer to use hinges which make the floor readily detachable.

As shown in Fig. 2 the sides may be stretched out in a straight line or they may occupy any intermediate position between a straight line and the closed position when the end posts 8 are connected together. The attaching means on the end posts may be so formed that they may be readily attached to cooperating members fastened to the wall of a room, or the like, to thus form a relatively large play space adjacent a wall.

The play-yard of the invention has many outstanding advantages over the present conventional four-sided (usually square) yards. Because of its substantially triangular configuration, the play-Yard of the invention is peculiarly adapted to be set-up in the corner of a room, where the two walls ofthe room afford protection on the two corner sides of the yard. This gives the infant a feeling of security, and reduces the care which the mother need give the child. With the play-yard in the corner of the room, the infant is comparatively secluded and its attention is less attracted to happenings in the room, with the result that it plays quietly by itself, and does not feel the need of attention from those around, as is the case with the conventional square yard protruding out into the room.

In homes of small rooms, and especially in city apartments, the available space for a play-yard is limited, and the conventional square yard, even if placed in a comer. protrudes out into the room, where it is not only unsightly but a hazard to those moving about the room. The substantially triangular play-yard of theinvention presents a pleasing appearance in a corner, takes up little otherwise needed room, and is practically out of the way of the customary activities in the room.

The play-yard of the invention can be advan:

tageously used outside, on porches, terraces, yards and the like. Because of its comparatively easy folding features and its lightness, it can be readily moved about from place to place.

The comparatively short sides (3 and 4) of the play-yard of the invention, in its preferred form, perform two important functions. These sides provide the necessary space between the long side and the corner sides to enclose the hinged floor when the yard is folded. And when the yard is erected, the two' relatively short sides permit the corner sides to be shorter than if the latter were connected to the long side as the hypotenuse of a true right-angle triangle. This reduction in length of the corner sides is eifected without sacrifice of the useful area of the yard. and at the same time permits the use of a smaller carton for shipping, and enable the yard to be more compactly folded in the home.

Two floors 30 can be economically cut from one rectangular sheet by cutting the two triangular pieces 32 from opposite sides of the rectangle with their hypotenuses laying along the sides and the right-angle apexes spaced by the length of the edge 34. The beads l9 are strung on spring wire l8 and the ends of the wire are sprung into cooperating holes in the intermediate rail H. The spring or tension of the arched wire holds it in position. This is a far more economical assembling operation than is required in the heretofore conventional square yards.

Herein the play-yard has been described as being for infants, and it is to be understood that this applies to a play-yard of such size that the infant may be confined therein, or of such size that the infant may use it as a toy.

I claim:

1. A play-yard for infants which comprises, when erected for use as a rigid structure, two corner sides connected to embrace an angle of about ninety degrees, a relatively long side opposite said angle occupying the approximate position of an hypotenuse, pivot means operatively connecting at least one corner side to an end of the relatively long side, and other means connecting the other corner side to the other end of the relatively long side, the means for connecting at least two of said sides together being detachable, said sides and said connecting means being so proportioned and arranged that an infant learning to walk may take several steps while holding a comer side with one hand and the relatively long side with the other hand, said playyard being held as a rigid structure when erected for use and foldable into a compact structure when not in use.

2. A play-yard according to claim 1 in which the means connecting the corner sides to the relatively long side comprises two short sides of unequal length permitting the comer sides to be folded over each other in parallelism when the play-yard is folded into a compact structure.

3. A play-yard for infants which comprises,

when erected for use as a rigid structure, two

together as a rigid structure when erected for use and are foldable together into a compact structure when not in use, said sides being so proportioned and arranged that an infant learning to walk may take several steps while holding a corner side with one hand and the relatively long side withthe other hand.

4. A play-yard for infants having a plurality of connected sides forming a rigid structure when erected for use and a folded compact structure when not in usewhich comprises two corner sides embracing-an angle of about ninety degrees, means detachably connecting the corner sides together, two short sides of unequal length, pivotal means connecting each. short side at one of its ends to an end of one corner side, a long side longer than either of the short sides or the corner sides, each end of said long side being operatively connected to an end of one of the short sides, and a floor mounted to fold into parallelism with one of the sides, the pivotal means, the detachable means and the floor cooperating with the sides in holding the sides in the form of a rigid pentagon when the play-yard is erected for use, said sides being so proportioned and arranged that the corner sides are sufliciently close to the long side for a sufficient distance from the short sides that an infant learning to walk may take several steps while holding a corner side with one hand and the long side with the other hand.

5. A play-yard for infants having a plurality of connected sides forming a rigid structure when erected for use and a folded compact structure when not in use which comprises two corner sides embracing an angle of about ninety degrees, means operatively connecting the corner sides together, two short sides of unequal length, pivotal means connecting each short side at one of its ends to an end of one corner side, a long side longer than either of the short sides or the corner sides, each end of said long side being pivotally connected to an end of one of the short sides, a foldable floor connected along one edge to the lower portion of the long side and adapted to fold into parallelism with the long side, the pivotal connections, and the floor cooperating with the sides in holding the sides in the form of a rigid pentagon when the play-yard is erected for use, said sides being so proportioned and arranged that the corner sides are sufiiciently close to the long side for a suflicient distance from the short sides that an infant learning to walk may take several steps while holding a corner side with one hand and the long side with the other hand.

6. A play-yard for infants having a. plurality of connected sides forming a rigid structure when erected for use and a folded compact structure when not in use, which comprises two corner sides connected together at their ends and embracing an angle of about ninety degrees, two short sides each having an end connected to an end of a corner side, a relatively long side connected at each end to one end of a short side, at least four of the connections of the said sides at their ends being pivotal and one being detachable, said sides being so proportioned and arranged that an infant learning to walk may take several steps while holding a corner side with one hand and the relatively long side with the other hand.

7. A play-yard according to claim 6 which comprises a foldable floor pivotally connected to the lower portion of the long side, whereby the floor may be folded against the long side and the corner sides folded over the folded floor.

BENJAMIN S. KENNEDY. 

